4/25/2008 @ 4:05PM

In Pictures: The World's 10 Most Wanted

A former drug enforcement agent tells why it’s so difficult to catch a pro.

Omid Tahvili

Tahvili is the kingpin of a Persian organized crime family in Canada connected to various Triads and other global criminal groups. Known as Nino, Tahvili walked out the door of a maximum security prison in British Columbia in November after bribing a guard with the promise of $50,000. He was awaiting sentencing after being convicted of kidnapping and sexual assault. Tahvili, 37, had tortured a relative of someone he suspected stole $500,000 of his drug money. The U.S. government wants him for his alleged operation of a fraudulent telemarketing business that scammed $3 million from elderly American victims. The scamsters told victims they would win a lottery if they would pay a bogus advance fee. Tahvili is believed to have connections throughout Europe and the Middle East, and remains an international operator.